Augusta Genealogical Society
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2025 ​AGS Genealogical Symposium 

Build New Genealogy Skills

Featuring programs by 
Judy G. Russell, The Legal Genealogist
and ​Erick Montgomery

Saturday, August 16, 2025
10:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
(sign in at 9:45)

Join the program virtually from home  
or participate in person at Brandon Wilde
Georgia Room— 4275 Owens Rd, Evans, GA 30809

Hosted by Brandon Wilde, the Augusta Premier Retirement Community
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 Registration Fee 
Virtual Program at Home:  $34.00
Attend the Virtual Program at Brandon Wilde, with Lunch: $49.00
Registration Deadline: August 11, 2025
Click Here to Register Online
Download a Registration Form to Mail
This link will take you to the AGS Square Store. Please, scroll down to register for the Symposium.
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Programs

Session 1: 
​Erick Montgomery  
​Finding Our Fathers (and Mothers): Using Artificial Intelligence in Genealogical Research

Artificial Intelligence is constantly in the news, but how can it assist genealogists in furthering family history research, and in breaking down brick walls? Gain a very basic understanding of what AI is, and how it can aid in your genealogical research. Specific step-by-step instructions will be demonstrated for using the new “FamilySearch Labs” tool to search their massive  collection of digitized records that are freely available online. The handout will include an illustrated guide to ensure easy access when you try it on your own after the symposium.

Session 2: 
Judy G. Russell
​
GENEALOGY & LEGAL RECORDS

NARA Mythbusters: 
​Your Family IS in the Archives

“All the military records were burned in the fire.” “There isn't any birth, marriage or death information in federal records.” “There aren't any details about ordinary families at the National Archives.” These kinds of myth-statements stop genealogists from breaking down all kinds of brick walls using the wealth of information in NARA records. Join the mythbusters with the treasures the National Archives holds for your family.

Session 3:
Judy G. Russell
GENEALOGY METHODOLOGY

When Worlds Collide: Resolving Conflicts in Genealogical Records

Session 4:
Judy G. Russell
GENEALOGY METHODOLOGY
Linking the Generations
with Court and Land Records

Genealogical Proof Standard says to resolve conflicts in data... but like so many things that sound good, it’s easier said than done. What exactly are we supposed to do when we encounter conflicting evidence? What are the basic types of evidence conflicts and the methods – and tips and tricks – we can use to resolve them?
It’s the single biggest issue genealogists face: how do we connect one generation to the next with evidence we can rely on? Vital records are excellent documentation, but they often don’t exist for the time and place we’re researching. That’s when we have to find workarounds to make sure we’re not simply putting people into family lines because they share the same names. Using court and land records, we can often find the evidence we need to link the generations accurately.

Judy G. Russell, JD, CG®, CGL(sm), FUGA

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Judy G. Russell, The Legal Genealogist®, is a genealogist with a law degree. She writes, teaches and lectures on a wide variety of genealogical topics, providing expert guidance through the murky territory where law and family history intersect. A Colorado native with roots deep in the American south on her mother’s side and entirely in Germany on her father’s side, she holds a bachelor’s degree from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. and a law degree from Rutgers School of Law-Newark. Before she retired, she worked as a newspaper reporter, trade association writer, legal investigator, defense attorney, federal prosecutor, law editor and, for more than 20 years, as an adjunct member of the faculty at Rutgers Law School.
She is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, the National Genealogical Society and numerous state and regional genealogical societies. Named a Fellow of the Utah Genealogical Association in 2025, she received the 2015 UGA Silver Tray Award and the 2017 Award of Excellence from the National Genealogical Society Quarterly, where she now serves as a member of the NGSQ editorial board.
An internationally-known lecturer and course coordinator and faculty member at numerous genealogical institutes, she holds credentials as a Certified Genealogist® and Certified Genealogical Lecturer℠ from the Board for Certification of Genealogists®. Her award-winning blog appears at The Legal Genealogist® website (https://www.legalgenealogist.com).

Erick Montgomery, Executive Director– Historic Augusta, Past President– AGS  

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Erick Montgomery is the Executive Director of Historic Augusta, Inc., a position he has held since 1989. Historic Augusta is an organization dedicated to the preservation
of historic sites and structures in Augusta and the Central Savannah River Area,
providing technical assistance and consultation on historic rehabilitation and restoration. 
Genealogically, he has been an avid family historian since childhood, and has published genealogical and historical articles in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly (NGSQ), The American Genealogist (TAG), Augusta-Richmond County History, the Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly (APGQ), and the Franklin County (Tennessee) Historical Review. He formerly served as President of the Augusta Genealogical Society, and was once President of the Savannah Area Genealogical Association. To advance his research skills, he has attended the Institute for Genealogical and Historical Research (IGHR) several times over the years, as well as other genealogical conferences, seminars and workshops. 
Montgomery is a native of Nashville, Tennessee and a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University where he studied historic preservation. He has been a resident of Georgia since 1979. He is the author of two books: An Augusta Scrapbook (2000), and Thomas Woodrow Wilson: Family Ties and Southern Perspectives (2006), and he managed and helped edit the production of Augusta, the 50th Anniversary publication of Historic Augusta, Inc. (2018). He has
conducted extensive research on the family history of President Wilson and both of his wives (Ellen Axson Wilson and Edith Bolling Galt Wilson), Richard and Emily Tubman of Augusta, as well as the history and architecture of Augusta.


Location

Adamson Library
1058 Claussen Road, Suite 108
​Augusta, GA 30907

Adamson Library Hours:

Tuesday 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Saturday 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
or by appointment 

To make an appointment, please email [email protected]. ​

Contact Us

​Send mail to: 
​Augusta Genealogical Society​

P O Box 3743
 Augusta GA 30914 

​706 722-4073

[email protected]


  • Home
  • Adamson Library
    • Collections
  • Publications
    • Books by AGS
    • Indexes of Enslaved Persons
    • Guardian Records
    • Account Books Index
    • Support Books Index
    • Probate Court Minutes
    • Superior Court Records
    • Administrator/Trustee Records
    • Marriage Licenses/Certificates
    • Pauper Burials Records
    • Cemetery Publications
  • Education & Events
    • Genealogical Symposium
    • June Open House
    • July Program
  • Membership
    • Membership Benefits
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Policy
  • Links
  • AGS Ballot
  • AGS Members
  • AGS Webinar Recordings
  • Slave Importation Affidavit Book
  • Slave Inventories and Appraisments Book
  • ​Guardian Records Book
  • Southern Echoes
  • Ancestoring
  • Articles
  • Account Books Index
  • Support Books Index
  • Pauper Burials Records Index